Exfoliation is key to maintaining smooth skin. It removes oil and dead skin, which allows moisturizer to absorb more easily.

The exfoliant you choose depends on your recipe. Fine exfoliants work well for the face and large exfoliants work well for the body, especially dry areas like elbows and feet. It’s also based on personal preference – the best way to find out what you like is to experiment.

Start with 1 teaspoon of exfoliant per pound of product. For cold process soap, add medium and large exfoliants at thin trace and whisk to incorporate. Mix 1 teaspoon of fine exfoliants with 1 tablespoon of a lightweight oil or distilled water first to prevent clumps. For melt and pour, add medium and large exfoliants and stir until the soap is around 125-135F. It needs to be thick enough to suspend the particles. For fine exfoliants, mix 1 teaspoon with 1 tablespoon of 99% isopropyl alcohol.

Bamboo PowderThis natural powder comes from bamboo stems. It starts as a thick liquid, then crystallizes at room temperature. Add it to handmade soap and cosmetics for gentle exfoliation. You’ll love the way it feels in the Black, White, and Gold All Over Soap.

Salts and SugarThere are a variety of salts and sugars that can be used for scrubs, bath bombs, and more. Depending on the size, they can offer gentle or more powerful exfoliation. Salt can also be used in cold process soap – it creates really creamy lather. Learn how to use it in the Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars tutorial.

Coffee GroundsDon’t throw used coffee grounds away – they’re perfect for recipes like the Simple Coffee Soap. Used grounds are best for cold process to prevent bleeding, but we recommend dry grounds for scrubs. The DIY Coffee Body Scrub leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean.

Loofah SpongeLoofah sponge is a unique natural exfoliant. They come in long tubes that can be cut down and added to soap like the Garden Melt and Pour Bars. Their texture is great for rough areas like the feet or elbows.

If you haven’t tried new sea sponges, you’re in for a treat. They’re used in soap because they create amazing lather – no washcloth necessary.

Where they’re from
There are more than 5,000 species of sea sponges that grow in both polar and tropical areas. The wool sponge we carry comes from the Bahamas, and the silk sponge comes from the Philippines. They’re a part of the new Seascape Collection.

Before the sea sponges make it to homes all over the world, they’re harvested by specially-trained divers. They use hooks to remove the sponges from rock and coral and then bring them back up to the boats. Workers run a string through and hang them to dry. The sponges are covered in a black film, but exposure to the sun causes it to dry and fall off. Then, the sponges are washed a few times and prepared for shipping.

The best part about that process is it’s sustainable. The divers don’t cut all the way down to the rock, which means the sponges will grow again. Once they’re harvested, divers move so it doesn’t overburden one area.

It’s a similar method used by our vendor when they first started. They’ve been diving for sea sponges since the 1940s. Employee Jim said his father, George, would dive for the sponges near a small island called Lemnos in the north Aegean Sea. George and his brothers would gather people from the town and go out on the boats for a week, collecting as many sponges as they could.

“They’d bring them in and sell them throughout Greece,” Jim said.

In the 1950s, George moved to the United States. His brothers shipped the sponges from Lemnos and he would sell them across the country. George is still active in the family business today, and Jim has been working with him since 1975.

How to use them
The sponges can be used to clean windows, apply wallpaper glue, apply paint, and more. Of course, we love them in bath products.

The silk sea sponge is small, slightly firm, and about 1.5-2″ across. The wool sponge is softer, larger, and about 3-3.5″ across. Both have a luxurious, soft feeling on the skin.

They’re super easy to use. First, pour soap into a mold. Melt and pour needs to be around 130-135F and cold process needs to be at a thin/medium trace. Place the sponges in the soap securely and make sure to leave a portion sticking out of the bars so it creates lather. You can cut the sponges to fit if necessary.

Massage oil is one of the easiest bath and body DIY projects. Simply mix skin-loving oils with fragrance and you have boutique-quality massage oil at home. The Massage Essential Oil Blend gives this oil a rich and spicy scent.

This massage oil is made with some of the most sought-after exotic oils: argan, jojoba, and moringa seed oil. Fractionated coconut oil is added to give the oil a lighter feel. If you don’t have one of these oils on hand, you can use a substitute. Just keep in mind that it will change the texture and moisturizing properties slightly.

The Massage Essential Oil Blend is a complex blend of pure essential oils. It was specifically formulated for massage and body oils. It contains more than 10 essential oils, including peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon, lavender, and elemi. Learn more about the blend here. This recipe contains enough essential oil for a light to medium scent. If you’d like a stronger scent, feel free to add more. Use the Bramble Berry Fragrance Calculator to help find the right amount.

Jolene with Scent and Sensibility Inc started making soap in 2012 after her best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. Jolene wanted to make products that everyone, including people with cancer, can use and enjoy safely. She sells soap, body oil, lip gloss, and more. Her beautiful products are made with simple, sensible ingredients. Learn more about Jolene and her creative journey in the interview below!

How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
I started experimenting with soap making in March 2012. I was inspired to lead a more natural way of life and get rid of the toxic chemical products because of my best friend. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years prior and finding products that were natural was hard and most importantly, expensive. I wanted to do something to honour her fight and surviving breast cancer and wanted to have a line of bath and body products that everyone, including people with cancer, can use safely. I decided then that should I decide to do this as a business, the charity component to my company would be at the core of the company. I donated soaps and raised money for charity every year since I started my business.

I learned how to make soap by purchasing a soaping kit that came with a soap mold, lye and all the ingredients measured out for me so there was zero room for mistakes. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos, like Soaping 101 and Soap Queen as there were no soap making classes where I was. These two wonderful teachers make soaping look so fun and easy and after my first batch, I was hooked. I spent one year experimenting with soap making and other products like scrubs, lip balm and bath fizzies. After 1 year of just making and giving away soaps and other products to friends and family (I call them my human guinea pigs), I decided then my soaps are good enough and that I was then ready to sell my soaps and Scent and Sensibility Inc was born in October 2013.

There are so many projects you can create with essential oils and natural colorants. They work well in bath bombs, cold process soap, masks, and more. Find inspiration for your next natural project below.

Making cold process soap for the first time can be intimidating. To make the process as easy as possible, we designed the Natural Soap Kit for Beginners with the first-time soaper in mind. The kit comes in three color and fragrance options (orange, lavender and lemongrass) and includes 100% pure essential oils, botanicals, lye, soaping oils, a reusable mold and safety gear. All you really need to provide is distilled water, soaping containers and a stick blender. Plus, it ships for free to anywhere in the lower 48 United States! It’s the perfect gift for that crafty person in your life.

This Energizing Orange soap may be my favorite of the three Natural Soap Kit for Beginners color and fragrance options. The soap is scented with 10X Orange Essential Oil, which gives the bars a bright orange color. Orange peel powder adds extra color and a touch of exfoliation. Marigold petals are added to the top for a finishing touch. The bars smell amazing, and look so bright and cheery. I have yet to meet somebody who didn’t enjoy orange soap. =)

Part of what makes this project so easy is that it requires a nice thick trace. The orange peel powder can be added directly to the soaping oils prior to adding the lye, or it can be added at trace and stick blended. To create the texture on top, continue to stick blend until you achieve a texture of thick pudding. You really don’t need to worry about stick blending this project too much!

The Natural Soap Kit for Beginners includes everything you need to create this soap. All you need to provide is distilled water, a mixing bowl, stick blender and thermometer. In addition to the ingredients, the kit includes cute labels and a printed booklet with instructions and cold process soap information. Another bonus? The kit ships free to the lower 48 United States!

In the video above, you can see just how easy it is to make this project. If working with lye makes you a little nervous, knowledge is power! This Lye Safety Guide will teach you everything you need to know about handling lye safely. If you’re a visual learner, watch this video to learn how to handle it safely.

With temperatures rising, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the sun. To stay safe while enjoying the rays, I always lather on layers and layers of sunscreen. But, even with proper precautions, sun exposure can cause dry and irritated skin. Years ago, I developed a recipe for “skinsicles,” a frozen combination of skin soothing ingredients. Click here to see the recipe and tutorial. Next week is going to be hot and sunny, so I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit and simplify the “skinsicle” recipe.

Once frozen, rub the cube on the skin. The cubes are oh-so-refreshing, especially when applied on a hot day! I recommend applying the cube outside to avoid a mess. =) You can allow the liquid to stay on the skin or wash it off if you prefer. I recommend allowing the liquid to stay on the skin for at least 10-15 minutes before washing off. The glycerin does cause the mixture to feel slightly sticky on the skin, but I found this stickiness faded with time.

In my tests the cubes did not freeze completely, most likely due the fresh aloe vera matter and essential oil. If you’d like to help the lavender 40/42 blend in better, mix Polysorbate 20 with the essential oil at a 1:1 ratio, then add the mixture at step three. Because this product is frozen and was for personal use only, I did not use a preservative. If you’d like to add a preservative, I would recommend Germaben. In addition, while some research does support that aloe vera reduces skin inflammation, this product does not claim to heal, treat, prevent or cure burned or irritated skin.

Making natural soap with essential oils is easier than you think. If you’re nervous to give it a try, the new Natural Soap Kit for Beginners was designed with you in mind. The kit includes everything you need to try your first batch of soap made with natural ingredients. You can choose from three pure essential oil options: Energizing Orange, Refreshing Lemongrass and Relaxing Lavender. The kit ships for FREE to the lower 48 United States. Watch the video below to see the Relaxing Lavender Essential Oil Soap made from start to finish.

In the video, you can see just how easy it is. First, mix the lye solution and allow to cool. If you’re unfamiliar with working with lye, watch this video to learn how to handle it safely. The soap is colored with Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment for a light purple hue. For this project, the colorant is added directly to soaping oils. Typically, I would disperse the pigment in oil, but since this soap is one solid color you can save a step by mixing it into your base oils. The colorant can also be added to trace with or without dispersing. Because you use the stick blender so much, the chunks get stick blended out. =)

Next, slowly add the lye solution to the soaping oils and begin stick blending to emulsify. Once the lye and oils have emulsified, add Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil to give a calming lavender scent. The essential oil is a blend of many different lavender essential oils to produce a consistent scent year after year (sort of like the concept of a ‘Red Table Wine’ that is the same from year to year in taste). Blend until it’s at thick trace – about the texture of thick pudding. Once in the mold, use a spoon or spatula to create a peak in the center and top the soap with lavender buds. Lavender buds tend to go brown if used inside soap, but remain a lovely purple if placed on top.

After about 2-3 days the soap can be unmolded and cut into bars. Then, the soap cures for 4-6 weeks to allow water to evaporate. This produces a harder, longer lasting bar of soap. It’s now ready to use or give to friends and family! In addition to free shipping, the Natural Soap Kit for Beginners also includes cute labels that you can cut and wrap around each bar for a professional look.

Learn how to make this simple and elegant lavender soap, made with natural ingredients.

Author: Soap Queen

Ingredients

10" Silicone Loaf Mold

33 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix

10 oz. Distilled Water

4.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye

2 tsp. Sodium Lactate

2 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil

1 tsp. Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment

Lavender Buds

99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle

Instructions

If you’ve never made Cold Process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Pure Soapmaking. You can also checkout the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and other distractions and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.

In a durable, heat-safe, non-metal container, measure out 4.7 ounces of sodium hydroxide lye flakes. In a separate durable, heat-safe, non-metal container, measure out 10 ounces of room temperature distilled water. Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Do not add the water to the lye. As you stir, the mixture will emit fumes; do not breathe them in. The lye mixture will heat to about 180-190 ° F. Label the container “DANGER: LYE” and place in a safe space to cool until about 120-130 ° F. This takes about an hour.

While the lye solution cools, prep the oils. Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix in the microwave or in a double boiler until there are no chunks or cloudiness. If melting the oils in a double boiler, do not let the bag touch the sides or bottom of the pot, or the plastic bag can melt. Once the oils are completely melted, give the bag a good shake. Measure 33 oz. of oils into a large, non-aluminum bowl capable of holding at least 50 ounces. Set aside.

The ingredients are now prepped! Check the temperature of your lye solution and oils. To soap, the oils and lye should be 110-130 ° F. If you took off your safety goggles and gloves, place them back on. Once your oils and lye are in that temperature range, carefully add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate to the lye solution and use a spoon to gently stir in. Wash off spoon immediately. Now, let’s soap!

Add 1 teaspoon Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment directly into the measured bowl of oils. Place the stick blender into the oils, and “burp” it by tapping the head of the blender on the bottom of the bowl. This will release bubbles trapped inside the blender. Pulse the stick blender for about 30 seconds to disperse the colorant and get rid of large chunks.

Slowly and carefully add the lye solution to the oils. Pulse the stick blender on and off to begin emulsifying the oils and lye together. Continue to pulse the stick blender for 15-20 seconds and then use it to stir the mixture.

Once you start blending, the mixture will begin to look creamy. After about 1 minute of blending and stirring, the oils and lye will be combined and the soap will be the texture of thin pudding. This is thin trace!

Add the Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil into the soap. Use the stick blender to completely blend in the essential oil.

At this point, the soap batter will have thickened slightly. As you continue to stick blend, it will become thicker. Continue to stick blend the soap batter until it is the texture of thick pudding and is able to form peaks.

Once the soap has thickened, pour the batter into the 10” Silicone Loaf Mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to release bubbles. Use a spoon to mound the soap in the center of the mold, forming a peak in the center. If the soap is not holding its shape, allow the soap to sit in the mold for 2-3 minutes, then continue mounding in the center. There is no right or wrong way to create texture on the top of soap, have fun with it!

Once you’re happy with the top of the soap, sprinkle lavender buds on the top of the soap. Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol.

The soap needs to sit and harden in the mold for 2-3 days. It can be hard to wait, but it’s worth it! After two days, pull the sides of the mold away from the soap. If it releases easily, pull the other two sides away from the soap and gently press from the bottom to release the airlock. Gently and carefully, remove the soap and place on a cutting board. If the sides of the mold do not easily release, give the soap another day to harden in the mold.

Using a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut the soap into bars. To prevent the lavender buds from creating drag marks, lay the soap on its side and cut the bars. Once the loaf is cut into bars, they need to cure for 4-6 weeks. During this time water evaporates from the bar, which creates a firmer and longer lasting bar of soap. Enjoy!

I know that just because you read my blog doesn’t mean you’ve made cold process soap before. In fact, I know many of my readers have never made soap, and given how much I love it, I wanted to find an easy way for you to start. Now this may sound crazy, but the truth is cold process soapmaking is easier than melt and pour. It’s true! Once you get past the fear of using lye (it’s just like driving a car – you need to take basic safety precautions) you’ll find that making cold process soap gives you more time to work on the design and a final bar of soap that lasts longer. Making and using handmade soap is a great way to eliminate harsh chemicals from your shower. The new Natural Soap Kit for Beginners was designed with the first time soapmaker in mind to learn how to make soap, but I think experienced soapmakers will love it too. The kit includes 100% pure essential oils, natural botanicals, basic soapmaking tools and a reusable mold.

From mixing your oils to labeling your bars, this kit will walk you through every step of the soapmaking process. The kit includes printed instructions, lye safety information and an exclusive how-to video that I made just for this kit. To keep the price of the kit down it doesn’t include all of the tools – you need to supply a stick blender, distilled water and a mixing bowl, but I was able to get a small digital scale (and, **free shipping**!) in the kit. Below are the basics that come with each kit and then I want to tell you about the essential oils I’ve chosen to highlight in each option:

\Each kit also includes FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the lower 48 United States. Free shipping applies to the kit only. If additional items are added to your order, those items are subject to normal shipping rates. The kit will be sent in a separate box from other items in the order.

Additional Instruction & Materials

Step-by-Step Instructions

Lye Safety Guide

Guide to Common Soapmaking Oils

Bar Soap Labels that follow FDA rules

Exclusive Online Instructional Videos made just for this kit

Shown above are the contents of the Natural Soap Kit for Beginners in Relaxing Lavender.

Once you purchase the kit, you will have access to an exclusive page featuring 10 soapmaking videos to get you started. First is the video I made with my friend Courtney, where I show her how to make the soap in the kit. We had so much fun, I think you might see her pop up in more of our videos! Several of the videos show you how to specifically create the soap in the kit, while some go over more general soapmaking knowledge important for the beginner and a great reminder for the experienced soaper.

You can choose from three different kit options: Energizing Orange, Refreshing Lemongrass and Relaxing Lavender. In addition to all the ingredients and tools listed above, each kit includes a different 100% pure essential oil, colorant and botanical topping. Check out each gorgeous, natural option below! Which is your favorite?

The Relaxing Lavender Kitfeatures lavender 40/42 essential oil – which is just a blend of many different lavender essential oils to produce a consistent scent year after year. It also has dried lavender buds, which will turn brown if you put them in your soap but when sprinkled across the top add a lovely finishing touch.

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart and get *free shipping* on this kit!

If you’ve been thinking about trying soapmaking for the first time, the Natural Soap Kit for Beginners is the perfect way to start. Say hello to natural soapmaking and share it with your family, your friends and especially your skin. I can’t wait to see your projects!

There are a wide variety of natural ingredients that can be used in cold process soap. From natural colorants and exfoliants to essential oils and extracts, new soapy ingredients are always popping up. Recently, adding fruit and vegetable purees to cold process soap has become extremely popular. Natural purees can add color and skin-loving properties to your bars. In addition, natural purees in bath and beauty products are fantastic from a marketing standpoint. Who doesn’t want a bar of soap made with their favorite fruit or veggie?

In general, there are no limits to what kind of natural purees you can add to soap. In my new book, Pure Soapmaking, there are recipes that include purees of blueberry, cucumber, tomato, aloe leaf, banana and potatoes. Here on the blog, you can find soap made with purees of pumpkin, strawberry, carrots and avocado. If you can blend it into a smooth consistency, you can (most likely) add it to cold process soap.

Adding purees to soap is an advanced technique. If you have never made cold process soap before, I highly recommend getting a few basic batches under your belt before using purees in your soap. It’s important to get an understanding of how soap behaves without additional sugar, water and fats. A solid grasp on how “normal” cold process soap behaves will allow you to alter your techniques and recipe accordingly when you begin to add uncommon ingredients. Remember: soapmaking is a science. Tweaking a recipe with extra ingredients (like purees) alters the chemical reactions between the lye and oils.

Purees add extra sugar, fats and water to your soap. Each type of puree will affect your soap recipe a little differently.The amount of water, fat and sugar will vary depending on the ingredient and how the puree was made. Before adding your puree, it’s important to consider the properties of the fruit and vegetable and how it will affect your batch. For example, a strawberry puree will add extra sugar and water. Using an avocado puree will add extra fats and water, but not much additional sugar. A cucumber puree (shown below) adds mostly water and a very small amount of sugar.

Each puree will add different properties to your soap. For example, cucumber puree (shown above) will add extra water to the soap, but very little sugar. Photo by Lara Ferroni. ❤❤❤.

Adding fresh fruit and vegetable purees to cold process soap has long been a staple in the soapmaking community. Purees can add color and skin-loving properties to the bar. In addition, purees are great from a marketing standpoint. One of my favorite purees for cold process soap is avocado. It gives the soap a luxurious feeling. Unlike some additives, avocados do not contain a large amount of sugar. Adding sugars (like those found in fruit) to cold process soap can cause excess heat, which can make the soap difficult to work with. For example, adding honey can cause an extreme gel phase, as seen in the Adding Honey to Cold Process Soap blog post.

For this recipe, I added a full 3 ounces of avocado pulp, in addition to French green clay and spirulina powder for color. Spearmint essential oil gives these bars a crisp and refreshing scent. After achieving a nice thick texture, I mounded the top of the soap toward the center, created texture and sprinkled poppy seeds on top for decoration. I decided to place this soap into the fridge to prevent gel phase. The additional water from the avocado and clay + heat causes glycerin rivers. Believe me…it happened! You can see my first batch of this soap without a water discount and after gel phase at the bottom of this tutorial. Learn more about glycerin rivers and how to prevent them in this post.

After making this soap, I was perusing the #SoapShare hashtag on Instagram (one of my favorite ways to spend precious downtime) I stumbled upon this beautiful Listea Poppyseed Mead Sea Mud Soap by sassy_soaps_and_such. I was shocked how similar the two designs were. Isn’t it crazy how that happens sometimes? I love Rhonda’s spin on a similar idea, with a layer on the bottom. Great minds really do think alike!

This recipe does contain a water discount to take into consideration the extra water that is added to the recipe. This recipe adds water in three different ways. First, 1.5 ounces of water is added to create the avocado puree. Then 2 Tbs. (about 1 ounce) of water is added to the clay to help create a dispersion. In addition, the avocado itself contains water. It’s tricky to know for sure how much water the 3 ounces of avocado contains, so I estimated about .5 ounces. That’s a total of 3 ounces of added water. The full amount of water in this recipe is 11.5 ounces. To get the amount below, I subtracted the 3 ounces which is 8.5 and used a water discount of 15% which is 7.2 ounces. With the added water, that’s a water discount of about 11% (7.2 ounces + 3 = 10.2).

Hand-milled soap is a fantastic option for crafters who prefer not to work with lye, but still love the look and feel of cold process soap. Hand-milling (also called rebatching) involves melting down pre-made cold process soap and adding a small amount of extra liquid. If you’d like to see this process in action, check out this How to Make Rebatch Soap video on Soap Queen TV.

Disclosure

Unless stated otherwise, all images are original material and are copyrighted. If you'd like to use an image, please be a friend and credit the photo and link back to Soap Queen. Feel free to share, tweet and pin to your hearts content.